Just in the hush before dawn
A little wistful wind is born.
A little chilly errant breeze
Thrills the grasses, stirs the trees
As it wanders on its way.
While yet the night is cool and dark,
The first carol of the lark—
Its plaintive murmurs seem to say:
“I await the sorrows of the day.”

Programming Aids

Performance Difficulty:

difficult

Seasonal Usage:

Spring

Fall

Descriptive Terms:

dawn

wind

breeze

sunrise

Allow Excerpts:

Composition is a single movement

Composer’s Notes:

The quick, rhythmic pattering of unaccompanied voices paints the scene for the listener: a chilly errant breeze in the hush before dawn. Just like the poet uses language to evoke imagery, the composer can use rhythm, melody, and harmony to support specific aspects of the text. In this case, quick, repeating rhythms and melodic phrases reinforce the character of this breeze: wistful, chilly, errant, contrasting with the more sustained tones of the “first carol of the lark”.

Wistful Wind is a continuation of a cycle of choral pieces, India's Love Lyrics, based on Adela Florence Nicolson’s poetry that includes Golden Stars, Wistful Wind, The Plains, Lost Delight, Famine Song, and Reminiscence.